


Dinner

by BeveStuscemi



Category: Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-14 23:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16050656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeveStuscemi/pseuds/BeveStuscemi
Summary: Bob fails to make it to dinner.





	Dinner

“Walter! _Look at this!” The boy picked up the pickaxe and lifted it into the air. “This is what I have to use.”_  
_The younger boy ran over and examined the pickaxe. “Is it heavy?”_  
_“For you probably. I’ve got used to it.” The boy gave the pickaxe an experimental swing on a large rock. It shattered in two._  
_“Wow, you’re strong.” Walter said in awe as he picked up a small piece of the rock. The boy chuckled._  
_“Yeah but they’ve had me on mine duty since I was thirteen. Six more years and they’ll put you on.”_  
_Walter recoiled slightly. He’d heard stories about the mines, about the demons that lurk down there and rip the limbs off miners that stray too far. He shuddered slightly._  
_“You cold?” The older boy asked. “You can have my jacket.”_  
_Walter shook his head. “I’m okay, thank you.”_  
_“Suit yourself.” The older boy began to wander further into the cave but stopped when he noticed Walter wasn’t following. “You okay?”_  
_“Bob,” Walter began to play with his fraying jumper. “What’s the water prison like?”_  
_Bob sighed and joined the young boy. “It’s… not so bad. You’re in there a week and then you leave. It’s just a long punishment, that’s all.”_  
_Walter nodded but tears welled in his eyes. Bob placed a hand round his shoulder._  
_“Look, I’ll be there as well. You’re not the only one who screwed up on reading this week, okay? I’ll see you at dinner time and the rest of the time you’re just in this little room. It’s not that bad.”_  
_“You promise?”_  
_Bob smiled. Two of his teeth were missing, a memento from Andrew. “I promise.”_

-

“Move your hand, Sullivan.”  
Walter looks up from his dinner bowl. The boy easily has eight years on him, not to mention a good foot of height but Walter shakes his head in determination.  
“No, this seat is for Bob. You know that.” He says this with as much conviction as he can muster and the older boy curses under his breath.  
“Whatever. Freak.” The boy moves away and has a seat on the opposite side of the dining hall. Andrew shouts something to him and the boy recoils, lowering his head over his bowl of brown stew. Walter’s stomach rumbles. He hasn’t eaten in nearly twenty-four hours but Bob promised him he’d be there. An older girl of about twelve comes and sits opposite him.

  
“What are you doing?” She takes a bite out of the stale bread that accompanies the stew.  
“Waiting for Bob.” Walter replies plainly and he stares longingly at the double doors where Andrew stands.  
“Yeah well, you’ll be waiting for a long time.” The girl looks over to Andrew and Walter already knows what’s coming next. “I heard the pig talking to him earlier. He’s probably not getting fed tonight.”  
Walter sighs and plays with his fork, running it up and down the wooden table. The girl taps his leg with her foot.  
“Stop it. If they find scratchings on the table they’ll punish you even more.” She says this out of fear for herself more so than Walter. The older children are responsible for the younger ones and if Walter is misbehaving, she failed her duty in guiding him. When he continues to carve she grabs his hand.  
“Seriously, stop.” She hisses and Walter’s face crumples slightly. She groans in part guilt and part frustration. “I’m sorry, I just…I just don’t want another beating.”  
Walter wipes his eyes and looks at her. There’s dried blood on her lip and bruising on her left cheek. Walter remembers this girl. She didn’t practice for the reading last week. He nods and the girl picks up his own bread and offers it to him.  
“Eat this, you haven’t eaten in ages.”  
Walter accepts the bread and nibbles on it. “It tastes weird.”  
“Best you’ll get here.” She says as she takes a bite of her own bread piece.

 

Walter turns around to the door, hoping that God is merciful and will let Bob eat. He is greeted by Andrew instead, arms folded and frowning at some poor girl.  
“I hate him.” Walter says suddenly, voice little more than a whisper.  
“Me too.”  
“Did he hurt you?” Walter points to her bloody lip and the girl nods.  
“Yeah. He’s a pig.” She spits. Even under the prison’s regime of fear, Walter found comfort in the children’s unity of hatred for Andrew. It was the closest thing to family he had at the moment.

 

“When my mom wakes up she’s going to get Andrew for everything he did to us.”  Walter reaches out, traces his small finger down the girl’s face. She gives a sad smile and passes him the rest of her bread.  
“Here.” Walter eyes her curiously as she stands up and picks up her bowl. She looks at Andrew and chews her lip. Walter picks up her bread piece and prepares to dip it in his stew but the girl catches his arm and looks him dead in the eyes.  
“Walter,” Her eyes move from the boy and to the other children instead. They sit around Andrew, spoons deep into their bowls. Her skin pales when she notices the sick smile on his face.  
“Don’t eat the stew.”


End file.
